Applications are invited for Nayi Dishayein Summer School on Interrogating ‘Development’ by Sambhaavnaa Institute of Public Policy and Politics, Palampur. Apply Now!
Background
Most countries in the world seem to have adopted a similar ‘development’ model. We in India are also following suit. Like everyone else, we too are aiming to be a predominantly urban, fossil fuel-based, industrial technology-intensive, consumer economy and society of the Euro-American variety.
A closer look, however, reveals that the adoption of this development model in India—pursued more explicitly and aggressively since the 1990s—has led to vastly unequal outcomes for different segments of society. On one end, we see glittering malls stocked with high-end consumer brands, state-of-the-art cars, booming air travel, dazzling gated apartment complexes, and a multitude of televised sports leagues. Yet, this is only one side of the story.
The other side is far less glamorous. The top 10% of the population controls over 75% of the country’s wealth and 57% of its total income. As a result, the luxuries mentioned above are accessible only to this privileged minority. Meanwhile, the remaining 90% struggle to make ends meet, often living in slums that sit in the shadow of those very apartment complexes, without access to basic amenities like clean water, sanitation, or adequate housing. Rural India, which continues to depend heavily on agriculture, faces meager incomes and limited opportunities. The scarcity of well-paying, non-agricultural jobs in both urban and rural areas is alarming. It is no surprise, then, that youth unemployment among graduates under 25 stands at 42%—the highest level recorded in the last four decades (PLFS 2021-22).
We need notargue here about the state of air, water, and soil and the rising waste dumps across the country resulting from our model of ‘development’ and living. This model of ‘development’ has also pushed the cities to encroach upon the land, water, and other resources of the rural areas for mineral extraction, power generation, cement-steel production, and connectivity via roads and airports. It is evident that this is a model of development for a few, at the cost of many.
The usual defense of the propagators of this model is that if we do not ‘develop’ in this way, there is no way we will be able to eradicate the poverty rampant in our country. However, the report card on poverty removal, job generation, ecological balance, or reducing deprivations due to caste, class, and gender continues to be abysmal!
How does one make sense of this huge gap between the promise of ‘development’ and its actual delivery? Why does it not work for all? Does it even work for a few?because it is also well known that the lives of the ‘haves’ are often devoid of meaning, belongingness, and fulfillment!
- If the flaws of this model are so glaring, why do we continue to pursue it with such fervor?
- Why do politicians and mainstream economists rarely speak about human well-being—about things that really matter to us like education, health, clean air, and water—instead of obsessing over GDP growth?
- What theories of economics legitimize this model of development? Where did it come from, and why have we adopted it so wholeheartedly?
About the Program
Sambhaavnaa Institute has been organizing a participatory, reflective, and perspective-building program called Nayi Dishayein that interrogates ‘development’ and seeks to understand its history and origins, its workings, and its ramifications on people and the planet.
In this program, we invite curious young people to:
- Critically examine the notion of development: Where did it come from? How and why have we bought into it so uncritically?
- If it is all about economics, economic systems, and economic models, what exactly is an economy? What is our current economic system, where did that come from, and can there be other ways of organizing our economy? Can we have infinite growth on a finite planet? Can GDP be the be-all and end-all of human well-being?
- Can we discern the root causes of growing inequality and the unequal opportunities in this model of development? Can we understand its compulsions to crush both people and the planet on its way?
- We are, to start with, a country quite fractured along the lines of gender, caste, class, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and knowledge: Does this kind of development heal those fractures or further deepen them?
- Finally, how have people been countering these onslaughts, if at all? What role and impact do these people’s movements have against this juggernaut? What is their contribution to a more just and sustainable society?
- What can my role as a young individual be in all this?
This program aims to interweave theory and practice. The first part of the program is a 10-day campus-based component that will focus on building a varied and dynamic understanding of some of the pertinent issues facing our society today. It deploys a mix of lectures, classroom discussions, exercises and presentations, field trips, theater, film/documentary screenings, songs of resistance, and the sharing of lived experiences by activists and scholars.
The second part of this program shall involve field immersion for four weeks with some ongoing social change initiatives (in groups of 2–3). Participants will travel to a grassroots organization.
Participants will return to Sambhaavnaa Institute for the third part of this program (for 4 days) to reflect on their learnings and experiences based on their internship.
Who is the program for?
This program is open to anyone in the age group of 21–28 who is:
- Seeking to engage with the above questions
- Someone who aspires to work in the development sector
- Seeking to make sense of the contradictory world we live in
- Grappling with one’s role in a humane and sustainable world.
Resource Persons
Rohit Azad, Mohammad Chappalwala
Senior activists and academicians will also be joining. We shall release the final list of resource persons soon.
Language
This program will be conducted in English and Hindi. Basic proficiency in both is required. (Speaking either English or Hindi is sufficient, but the ability to understand both is essential.)
Contribution to the Program
We request participants to contribute an amount of Rs. 6,000 towards workshop expenses, inclusive of all onsite workshop costs: boarding, lodging, and all the materials used in the workshop. Travel will be borne by the participants.
Do not let money be an impediment to your application. Need-based fee waivers are available. We have a limited number of scholarships, so please apply for a fee waiver if you really need it. Do remember that are applicants who need it more than you. The fee waivers will be offered to people from marginalized groups and non-funded social, political, or student movements.
Dates
- 27th May to 5th June 2025: Program at Sambhaavnaa campus (First part)
- 6th June to 5th July 2025: 4 weeks of internship (Second part) Travel days included
- 6th to 8th July 2025: Reflections about the internship at Sambhaavnaa campus (Third Part)
Venue for the campus components
Sambhaavnaa Institute, Kandbari, Tehsil, Palampur, District Kangra, PIN 176061, Himachal Pradesh
How do I apply?
Please select one from among the three field exercises detailed below, and then fill out the application form. The field exercise is compulsory for your application to be considered. There are 2 methods to submit your exercise. You can choose eitherof these:
Method 1: You can make a brief video, look into the camera, and articulate your experiences, specifically as per the requirements of the exercise. The video has to be at least 3 minutes long. (Please note that we will not be assessing the video on the basis of video editing, camera quality, or the efficacy of the presentation). Please write in no more than 500 words. You can share this video on WhatsApp with us at +91 889 422 7954
or
Method 2: Write about your experience and learnings from the field exercise. We are interested in your reflections, interpretations, and analyses of social realities. (Please note that we will not be assessing the exercise on the basis of language, grammar, or the efficacy of the presentation.). Please write in no more than 500 words.
Field Exercise options: please choose only one of the exercises below
Exercise 1: Interview an informal worker in your area (peasants, domestic workers, migrant laborers, etc.) and write a note about how they are treated/used/compensated/cared for by the current economic system. You can also cover elements of their personal, physical, psychological, and family conditions and how the current economic system brings these about.
Exercise 2: Follow the garbage trail from your place of residence to the final place where it rests. Locate one person in the life-cycle who manages your garbage, and speak to them about the nature of their work, their wages, their family and who else earns in their family, the living conditions of their family, and so on. Provide a description of the garbage trail and any insights you obtain from it. Share about the garbage worker as well as your reflections on his/her life and working conditions and if and/or how they could be changed for the better.
Exercise 3: Visit a government school in your neighborhood. What did you see about the infrastructure, social class of the students, and the teachers, and what can you make out of the quality of education being imparted? How does it, if at all, differ from the kind of school you went to? Please fill out the below form to apply without using any Artificial Intelligence(AI) tools
How to Register?
Interested participants can apply through this link.
